The Wisconsin Independent Football Association is a former high school football conference made up of private high schools in the state of Wisconsin. Founded in 1995 and ended after the 1998 football season, the conference's member schools were affiliated with the Wisconsin Independent Schools Athletic Association.

History

The Wisconsin Independent Football Association was founded in 1995 by the twenty-six football-playing members of three conferences: the Fox Valley Christian Conference, Metro Conference and Midwest Classic Conference.[1] When the original announcement of the conference's formation was made in 1994, the schools were aligned into four divisions largely based on their previous affiliations, with the move of St. Catherine's and St. Joseph out of the Metro Conference to join the WIFA Midwest Division with three former Midwest Classic schools (Luther Prep, Martin Luther and Winnebago Lutheran) and longtime independent Edgewood:[2]

Fox Valley ChristianMetroWIFA ClassicWIFA Midwest
Fox Valley LutheranCatholic MemorialBurlington Catholic CentralEdgewood
LourdesDominicanHoly Name SeminaryLuther Prep
Manitowoc LutheranMarquette UniversityNorthwestern M&NAMartin Luther
RoncalliMilwaukee LutheranRacine LutheranSt. Catherine's
St. Mary's SpringsPius XISt. John's Military AcademySt. Joseph
XavierThomas MoreSt. Mary CatholicWinnebago Lutheran
University School
Wayland Academy

Two of the schools announced as inaugural members didn't make it to see the conference come to fruition: Holy Name Seminary was closed by the Madison diocese[3] and Northwestern Military and Naval Academy in Lake Geneva was merged with St. John's Military Academy in Delafield.[4] This alignment was maintained for two seasons, until the Fox Valley Christian Conference dropped sponsorship of football[5] and the Metro Conference ceased operations altogether[6] following the 1996 season. The seven remaining members (Burlington Catholic Central, Lourdes Academy, Racine Lutheran, St. John's Northwestern, St. Mary Catholic, University School of Milwaukee and Wayland Academy) carried on under the WIFA Classic banner until its disbanding after the 1998 football season.

Conference membership history

SchoolLocationAffiliationMascotColorsSeasonsPrimary Conference
Catholic CentralBurlington, WIPrivate (Catholic)Hilltoppers1995–1998Midwest Classic
Catholic MemorialWaukesha, WIPrivate (Catholic)Crusaders1995–1996Metro
DominicanWhitefish Bay, WIPrivate (Catholic, Sinsinawa Dominicans)Knights1995–1996Metro
EdgewoodMadison, WIPrivate (Catholic)Crusaders1995–1996Independent
Fox Valley LutheranAppleton, WIPrivate (Lutheran, WELS)Foxes1995–1996Fox Valley Christian
Lourdes AcademyOshkosh, WIPrivate (Catholic)Knights1996–1998Fox Valley Christian
Luther PrepWatertown, WIPrivate (Lutheran, WELS)Phoenix1995–1996Midwest Classic
Manitowoc LutheranManitowoc, WIPrivate (Lutheran, WELS)Lancers1995–1996Fox Valley Christian
Marquette UniversityMilwaukee, WIPrivate (Catholic, Jesuit)Hilltoppers1995–1996Metro
Martin LutherGreendale, WIPrivate (Lutheran, LCMS)Spartans1995–1996Midwest Classic
Milwaukee LutheranMilwaukee, WIPrivate (Lutheran, LCMS)Red Knights1995–1996Metro
Pius XIMilwaukee, WIPrivate (Catholic)Popes1995–1996Metro
Racine LutheranRacine, WIPrivate (Lutheran, LCMS)Crusaders1995–1998Midwest Classic
RoncalliManitowoc, WIPrivate (Catholic)Jets1995–1996Fox Valley Christian
St. Catherine'sRacine, WIPrivate (Catholic, Dominican)Angels1995–1996Metro
St. John's NorthwesternDelafield, WIPrivate (Nonsectarian), MilitaryLancers1995–1998Midwest Classic
St. JosephKenosha, WIPrivate (Catholic)Lancers1995–1996Metro
St. Mary CatholicNeenah, WIPrivate (Catholic)Zephyrs1995–1998Fox Valley Christian
St. Mary's SpringsFond du Lac, WIPrivate (Catholic)Ledgers1995–1996Fox Valley Christian
Thomas MoreMilwaukee, WIPrivate (Catholic)Cavaliers1995–1996Metro
University SchoolRiver Hills, WIPrivate (Nonsectarian)Wildcats1995–1998Midwest Classic
Wayland AcademyBeaver Dam, WIPrivate (Nonsectarian, historically Baptist)Big Red1995–1998Midwest Classic
Winnebago LutheranFond du Lac, WIPrivate (Lutheran, WELS)Vikings1995–1996Midwest Classic
XavierAppleton, WIPrivate (Catholic)Hawks1995–1996Fox Valley Christian

Membership timeline

Fox Valley Christian Metro WIFA Classic WIFA Midwest

List of state champions

SchoolYearOrganizationDivision
St. Mary's Springs1995[7]WISAADivision 1
Catholic Memorial1996[8]WISAADivision 1
Roncalli1996[8]WISAADivision 2

List of conference champions

Fox Valley Christian Conference

SchoolQuantityYears
St. Mary's Springs21995, 1996
Fox Valley Lutheran0
Lourdes Academy0
Manitowoc Lutheran0
Roncalli0
Xavier0

Metro Conference

SchoolQuantityYears
Marquette University21995, 1996
Catholic Memorial11996
Dominican0
Milwaukee Lutheran0
Pius XI0
Thomas More0

WIFA Classic Division

SchoolQuantityYears
Catholic Central21995, 1997
Racine Lutheran21995, 1996
University School11998
Lourdes Academy0
St. John's Northwestern0
St. Mary Catholic0
Wayland Academy0

WIFA Midwest Division

SchoolQuantityYears
Luther Prep21995, 1996
Edgewood11995
St. Joseph11995
Martin Luther0
St. Catherine's0
Winnebago Lutheran0

References

  1. ^ Shriver, Gregory (25 August 1995). "WLA set to compete in new-look WISAA league". Fond du Lac Reporter. pp. E-35. Retrieved 11 August 2025.
  2. ^ Cohen, Andrew (14 October 1994). "A home for Edgewood". Wisconsin State Journal. pp. 3B. Retrieved 11 August 2025.
  3. ^ Perry-Daniels, Gail (3 May 1995). "'Sense of loss' felt deeply as Holy Name will close". The Capital Times. p. 3. Retrieved 11 August 2025.
  4. ^ "St. John's-Northwestern academies to merge". Oconomowoc Enterprise. 9 August 1995. p. 2. Retrieved 11 August 2025.
  5. ^ Byrne, Ed (12 September 1996). "The notebook (see Football, Headed for a new league)". Appleton Post-Crescent. pp. C3. Retrieved 11 August 2025.
  6. ^ Associated Press (6 March 1997). "Last hurrah at hand for Metro Conference". Manitowoc Herald-Times-Reporter. p. 10. Retrieved 11 August 2025.
  7. ^ "Scoreboard (see Volleyball, High School Girls, WISAA Tournament)". Racine Journal Times. 30 October 1995. p. 22. Retrieved 15 January 2025.
  8. ^ "Scoreboard (see Girls Volleyball, WISAA State Tournament)". Wisconsin State Journal. 3 November 1996. p. 39. Retrieved 15 January 2025.